Page 140 - Aet News Today

Amino Health's $80 million in financing was led by Transformation Capital and Oxford Finance. With the funding, the company hopes to reach and engage more members and grow its partnerships with employers and third party administrators.

Nido Biosciences’ lead drug hits a previously undrugged pocket as a way to potentially treat the rare neuromuscular disorder spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy. The startup’s tech platform screens neurons to find targets for new neurological disorder drugs.

By selling partial royalties to approved hemophilia gene therapy Hemgenix, uniQure gains immediate cash to support its pipeline, including a Huntington’s disease gene therapy already in the clinic . The royalty deal extends uniQure’s cash runway into 2026.

Through an expanded partnership with Teladoc, HealthJoy is providing access to virtual primary care services for the first time. The company already offers employers services for areas including mental health, nutrition and musculoskeletal therapy.

Patient demand for digital payment communication — both reminders about bills, as well as text messages that enable bill payment — is on the rise, according to a recent report. This is in line with growing consumerism trends in the U.S. — patients want their healthcare payment experience to mimic the convenience and ease they have when they pay for things like travel or retail goods.

Astellas Pharma won FDA approval for Veozah, a new menopause drug. The once-daily pill offers a new non-hormonal treatment option for addressing menopausal symptoms.

There is a huge opportunity for PBMs and health systems to use AI to help address the challenges surrounding the affordability and accessibility of medicines, from navigating formularies to resolving prior authorization. More automation in pharmacies and with ordering workflows is one piece of that puzzle.

We must engage, train and support more physicians as investigators to enable the opportunity for their patients to have access to clinical trials. As an industry, we should be adding anywhere from 10% to 20% new investigators every year to meet the patient access needs for clinical trials.

As payers work to optimize their PBM partnerships, the complexity of their agreements makes it important to increase the understanding and apply best practices to ensure transparency and value. Prioritizing the PBM relationship is critical for payers to provide competitive, cost-effective pharmacy benefits. 

A recent court decision could lead to women losing access to free mammogram screenings, a new Urban Institute report showed. Without insurance, mammograms can cost up to $560 in out-of-pocket expenses.